Critical Care Nurse Job Seekers: Resume Tips

To obtain a prime critical care nursing job, you will need an excellent resume. With so many job seekers in a tough economy, it's essential to catch the recruiter's eye with a document that shows you in the best possible light. This article will provide some brief tips for making sure your resume will do just that!

Heading and objective

Make sure your resume is no more than one page in length. Extreme detail is not necessary, just the highlights of your qualifications. Also, don't go overboard with special effects like colored ink and extravagant borders. This is all business and artistic flourishes can be saved for personal projects.

Each resume should have a block of personal information centered at the top of the page. This information should always include your cellphone number and email address as well as home phone and physical address.

Following the heading should be the resume objective. Your phrasing here is of critical importance. All of your experience and desire for the job should be focused into one powerful sentence like a laser. This is what will entice the recruiter to study the rest of the resume more closely. A sample objective might read something as follows: "Nursing professional with eight years of experience and a passion for helping others seeks a fulfilling position in critical care nursing."

Experience

Here you would detail your nursing background. It also gives you an opportunity to emphasize skills you've learned and responsibilities you've held. Avoid a dry recitation of places and times you've worked. A bullet format lets you draw attention to your good points. Here's some examples:

1998-2005 ICU Nurse at St. Bridget's Hospital

Worked extensively with acute trauma cases in low-income neighborhood

Helped manage a staff of 12 ICU interns and nurses

Worked over two years without a sick day

Come up with similar examples for each place you worked. Everybody learns something at a job, no matter where it is!

Education

Take a similar approach with your educational background. Don't just list the schools you attended, tell the recruiter what made you stand out at each school. Achievements related to nursing should be emphasized but you can highlight other accomplishments. Here's an example of a bulleted resume entry for education:

1990-1994 Attended Southern State University

Obtained a B.S. degree in Nursing

Minored in computer science

Made the Dean's List in 5 semesters

Certifications and Special Skills

Don't forget to mention any certifications or licenses you may have obtained. These are powerful ammunition for a good resume. There also may be some unique skills you that are not easily covered by the education and experience categories. A good example of this would be languages. Being bilingual is a great plus today and should definitely be mentioned. Technology skills and expertise in handling money are valuable assets. Any volunteer work you've done should be listed, it shows you are caring and that's definitely something a nurse needs. An "additional qualifications" bullet list might read like this: